Supreme Court Halts Deportation of Assam Woman Labelled as ‘Foreigner’

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court stayed the deportation of Jaynab Bibi, an Assam woman declared a "foreigner" by a Foreigner’s Tribunal under the Foreigners Act, 1946. Represented by advocates Fuzail Ayyubi and Akansha Rai, she claimed Indian citizenship by birth and submitted family records proving her lineage. The Court barred the Centre from taking coercive action and set the next hearing for August 25. Bibi argued that the Tribunal’s decision was arbitrary, ignoring voter lists and gram panchayat records proving her heritage. Her counsel cited a 2024 Supreme Court ruling that suspicion alone is insufficient to declare someone a foreigner.